As the year comes to an end, it’s been tough been trying to decide who will make my short list of Top Ten Action Figures for 2012. It’s been tough to pare it down to ten, with some really great toys just missing the cut. My criteria? well, the web has enough articulate, detailed, and fantastic reviewers – this is just what I thought looked cool on the shelf, and gave me that “wow!” feeling when I opened it up and played with them.

*ahem*

Yes, I open and play with my toys.

Anyway, instead of my usual overblown pontification, I’ll keep it short and just post the pics…

So there it is. Let me know what figures I totally missed and/or how wrong I am in the comments below…and have a Safe and Happy New Year.

Current designer, future artist, eternal manchild, Ryan "The Superfly" Prast uses his toynerd acumen to delve deep into the profound nuances of life. With a penchant for tiny plastic men and nostalgia of times past, he also enjoys panelology, obscure cultural references, tomfoolery and/or shenanigans, conspiracy theories, and watching his Cubs flush another season down the toilet. And he always keeps his fork when there’s pie.

In regards to the high-end items like Hot Toys and threeA…I agree. Tough for the mass-market stuff to compete with that. Maybe needs to be separated.

As for leaving some figures off like the MonsterArts, Marvel Select Colussus, MP10 Prime, etc, I didn’t buy any of those, so my opinion is certainly biased a bit.

I was surprised by the lack of DC that missed the cut, and same with Marvel Legends. But while they had many nice figures, would any of them be considered within the top 10 of the year? Maybe, but not on my list. Hopefully next year!